Lunenburg County Historical Society

Origins of the Historical Society

In 1996, Lunenburg County celebrated its 250^th anniversary. At that time, it became obvious to a number of the county's citizens that much of Lunenburg's heritage was in jeopardy of being lost forever if definite efforts were not made to preserve that history.

During the intervening time, the Lunenburg County Historical Society has been created as a means of rallying those persons interested in preserving the history of the county. The society has been duly incorporated by the State Corporation Commission and has qualified as a tax-exempt organization for charitable purposes.

Plans call for at least three meetings each year, including a possible annual tour. In addition, members will receive the society's quarterly newsletter, which will include updates on the operations of the society, a forum for posting genealogical queries, and possibly short articles of interest about the county's history. The society will choose projects based upon the interests and suggestions of the membership.

Membership in the historical society

There are several different levels of membership: individual memberships are $15.00 annually; family memberships, $25.00 annually; student memberships, $10.00 annually; life memberships, $250.00. Membership applications are available at the public libraries in Victoria and Kenbridge and at the county court house at Lunenburg. A copy of the application is also available on-line. Click below:

Membership Application

Officers for 2007-2008 are as follows:

President: Roberta Rickers
Vice-President: Anne Hamlett
Secretary: Betty Boyle
Treasurer: Jackie B. Clement

Committees:

Newsletter: The purpose of the society s newsletter will be to keep the membership informed of meetings and activites of the society, as well as upcoming events of historical interest in the county, state and nation. It is hoped that they may also provide a place to publish genealogical queries relevant to Lunenburg County. Newsletters will be published quarterly, at least 10 days before general meetings, as well in the month of December.

Publicity: The purpose of the Publicity Committee will be to promote and publicize the meetings and activities of the society by articles in the local newspapers, the Internet, and in the society s newsletter. This committee will also prepare and distribute flyers as needed advertising pertinent events of the society.

Membership: The Membership Committee will use whatever creative means it chooses to organize the annual membership drive. It will maintain a list of the current membership and supply that information for the newsletter mailing list.

Budget/Finance: The Budget Committee will compile an annual budget to be presented to the Board of Directors at its May meeting and to the general membership at the June meeting. Fund-raising: The Fund-raising Committee will devise plans to raise moneys (by means other than collection of membership dues) for operational expenses of the society and to cover costs of projects not paid for by grants.

Grants: The Grants Committee will seek funding from grants-in-aid for special projects of the society.

Activities/Projects: The Projects Committee will devise special projects to preserve and promote the history of Lunenburg County and will organize the activities necessary to carry out these projects.

Program: The Program Committee will be responsible for planning interesting programs for the general meetings of the society. A list of possible programs will be discussed at the July Board meeting and a final list will be presented to the Board for its approval at its October meeting. Tours: The Tours Committee will present plans to the Board of Directors for its approval, after which this committee will carry out these plans, publicize the tour, and collect any necessary fees.

Publications: The Publications Committee will be responsible for the publications of books and pamphlets published under the auspices of the society.

Hospitality: The Hospitality Committee will provide light refreshments and decorations for general membership meetings and will provide clean-up afterwards.

Special Committees:

Genealogical Research: This committee will attempt to respond to genealogical queries that are addressed to the society.

Society History: This committee will preserve the history of the society by the saving and orderly filing of newspaper clippings, photographs, newsletters, and other memorabilia of the society.

Whom to contact for more information about the society

Contact newsletter editor Irene Elam Wilkinson (iwilkinson@msinets.com) to submit information or queries for the society's newsletter.

Contact Gerald Reinders (grindrs@embarqmail.com) about the Lunenburg cemetery project.

Current projects of the society

Lunenburg history book:

The long-awaited history of Lunenburg County, The Lunenburg Legacy by Gay Weeks Neale, is now in print and is available at the two public libraries in the county.
If you have not yet purchased a copy, the books sell for $30.00 each. This amount includes sales tax. You must add an additional $5.00 to the price of the book to have it mailed to you or to the recipient(s) of your choice. Payments by check should be made to the "Lunenburg County Historical Society."

Books and order forms are available at the libraries in Kenbridge and Victoria. An order blank is also available below. If you order by mail, please send your check with your name and correct mailing address -- along with this same information for any other recipient -- to Lunenburg County Historical Society, General Delivery, Lunenburg VA 23952.

With a cover by Eldridge Bagley and an assortment of illustrations and photographs, the book is a treasure trove of information that all persons interested in Lunenburg County should find enjoyable and educational.

Please print this order blank and mail to:

Lunenburg County Historical Society, Lunenburg VA 23952

My Name__________________________________________________________

Address____________________________________________________________

City_______________________________________St._______Zip____________

Please reserve _____ copies of The Lunenburg Legacy at the price of $30 each (including tax) to be picked up by me at the Victoria Public Library or the Ripberger Public Library, Kenbridge.

OR to be mailed to the address(es) below for an additional $5.00 per book.

Please make checks payable to the Lunenburg County Historical Society.

____ book(s) at $30.00 each (tax included) to be picked up by me at. . . (Check one: ___Victoria Library; ___Ripberger Library, Kenbridge) = $__________

____ book(s) to be mailed to addresses below at $30.00 plus $5.00 per book (s&h) = $_________

TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED = $_________

Mail books to:

Name:_____________________________________

Address:___________________________________

___________________________________________

Name:_____________________________________

Address:___________________________________

__________________________________________

Virginia 2007 Community plans for Lunenburg:

The Lunenburg County Historical Society has announced plans for the “local launch” of the commemoration of the nation's 400th anniversary. This event will take place in the court room and on the grounds at Lunenburg, VA, on Sunday, May 21, 2006, at 2:00 PM. This gathering will also mark the 260th anniversary of the founding of Lunenburg County in May 1746. The slogan that is being used by the Virginia 2007 Community Program state-wide is “Come Home to Virginia, America’s Birthplace.” You are invited to “Come Home to Lunenburg”!

The entire nation is gearing up one year in advance of the 400th anniversary of the 1607 founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in the New World. In Lunenburg, the local kick-off event is also being planned one year before the 400th anniversary to make the county's citizenry more aware of the many activities that will be taking place in the county, the state, and the nation as proud Americans mark the nation’s founding at Jamestown, just over a hundred miles away from Southside Virginia. To find out more about America's 400th Anniversary, go on the Internet to www.Jamestown2007.org.

You are invited to come to Lunenburg Court House on May 21st, where you will enjoy a patriotic occasion. Keynote speaker for the event is Dr. John Allen – Lunenburg’s historian of note – as he accounts for the coming together of three distinct cultures in Virginia: English, Native American, and African-American, and how this impacted the settlement of Lunenburg. You will hear from our local judges about the founding of Lunenburg County. A representative from "Jamestown 2007," the organization planning America's 400th Anniversary, will be on hand to fill you in on what will be going on both at Jamestown and throughout the state and nation to bring attention to this 18-month commemoration.

Lunenburg's Virginia 2007 Committee also has local plans from May 2006 through May 2007 for the county’s commemoration of this monumental event in the life of our nation These plans will include participation by Lunenburg's citizens, the county's churches, and local civic clubs.

The local Virginia 2007 Committee is one of over 150 committees in communities throughout the state that are hard at work to see to it that America’s 400th Anniversary does not go unnoticed. Organized under the auspices of the Lunenburg County Historical Society, the local committee’s members are Anne Hamlett, coordinator; Karen Scales, representing the Town of Kenbridge; Sandra Jones, representing the Town of Victoria; Cathy Giorgetti, representing the County of Lunenburg; Beverley Hawthorne, representing the Office of Economic Development; Liz Parrish, representing the Dundas area; Jack Gregory, representing the Fort Mitchell area; Arlene and John Milner, representing the Keysville-Meherrin area; and Judge William L. Wellons, ex-officio member of the committee. The Milners are members of the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe and provide valuable insights into the role of Virginia’s Indians in the nation’s founding.

One week after Lunenburg's “launch” of commemorative activities on May 21, 2006, a Godspeed replica will sail to major East Coast seaports. The Godspeed sail will mark the beginning of 18 months of activities to involve the entire nation in the commemoration activities.

Don’t miss the boat! Plan now to be with your Lunenburg neighbors for the “local launch!”

Lunenburg Driving tour

The Lunenburg County Historical Society is planning a driving tour of the county as a legacy project for the county in commemoration of America's 400th Anniversary in 2007. The LCHS Projects Committee is currently seeking nominations for sites throughout the county to be included on the tour.

The public is asked to nominate churches, old homes, schools, businesses, and any other sites of historical interest. You may nominate existing buildings as well as sites of historical interest on which no building stands. Sites on the tour must be visible from a public road unless the owner gives permission otherwise. Owners of sites on the tour are to be notified in advance of the inclusion of their locations.

The proposed plan for the driving tour is to divide the county into quadrants and to produce a county map on which each site is located. A description of each of the sites and its significance will also be included with the map. Maps will be distributed at various public locations throughout the county.

Nominations forms are available at the Ripberger Public Library in Kenbridge and at the Victoria Public Library in Victoria. The Projects Committee of the historical society plans to complete this project in time to dedicate the tour for the county's 2007 commemoration ceremony.

Cemetery project

The Lunenburg County Historical Society is emphasizing to the public the importance of maintaining old cemetery records in the county as a means of preserving the county s history and as an aid to genealogical research. The Society also calls attention to the excellent volunteer work that has already been done in cataloging many of Lunenburg s old cemeteries by Gerald Reinders (grindrs@embarqmail.com) . To date this Lunenburg resident has cataloged 234 private cemeteries in the county with more pending.

        Reinders comments that he saw the need for such research when he realized how many cemeteries were in the county and how few people remained who still knew where they were and who was buried in them. As a result of the need to preserve this information, he began his research on Lunenburg s cemeteries in 1994 or 1995. In the process of his work on this project, he also discovered that a large number of families had filtered through Virginia, and especially Lunenburg County, on their way to settle out west. People who now live all over the United States have ties to individuals buried in old Lunenburg cemeteries.

        The results of Reinders research is a large volume compiled in 1996 entitled Private Cemeteries in Lunenburg County. The oldest cemetery which is cataloged in the book contains the graves of people born from 1725 until 1766. The book contains a helpful alphabetical index of the names of all individuals whose graves could be identified.

        There are copies of Reinders research at both of the public libraries in the county. Family researchers who visit the Ripberger Public Library on Broad Street in Kenbridge and the Victoria Public Library on Seventh Street in Victoria find Reinders book to be among the most valuable tools in researching Lunenburg families. A copy of the book is also available for use at the Library of Virginia in Richmond.

        Reinders, who is a member of the local historical society, is aware that there are still more old cemeteries in the county which he has not yet cataloged. He is interested in updating his work with as much additional information as possible.

        The Lunenburg County Historical Society commends Mr. Reinders research efforts and asks the public to help him in preserving this important part of the county's history. If you know of an old cemetery in Lunenburg that has not been cataloged, please contact Mr. Reinders by telephone at (434) 696-3446 or by e-mail at . Gerald Reinders (grindrs@embarqmail.com) Before contacting Mr. Reinders, persons who have access to the county's public libraries may want to check there first to see if the cemetery of which they have knowledge has already been included in the book.